YES, JETAASE will be hosting our very own JET 30th Reunion event! If you missed the JET30 Reunion held at Washington D.C. but REALLY wanted to go, or if you want to reminisce about life on JET, or if you just want to hang out with other cool JETS and have a blast, this is the chance!

Ready for some sakura? Join us for the 3rd annual JETAA and Southern Bridge International hanami picnic!

Meet other JET alumni and Japanese expat families in the Triangle while enjoying a natsukashii picnic under the sakura.

And we have an exciting addition to this year's picnic thanks to the generosity of the Consulate General of Japan - Atlanta! We're working with Kidokinetics to have a lively undokai (aka sports day) as part of the festivities. Relive your glory days on the Japanese school yard with relay races, dancing, and more!

Please email sbi@southernbridgeintl.org with how many people will be joining you at the hanami. We'll be using this headcount when planning the undokai activities and also for providing drinks and snacks (we recommend packing a lunch to bring as well).

JETAASE is having its biannual officer elections this year. All JETAASE members are eligible to run for open positions. Whether or not you're interested in running, please carefully read and follow the election process as described below.

Available Positions

Secretary:

The Secretary shall attend all meetings of the Board of Directors and shall record the proceedings of such meetings in books to be kept for that purpose and shall perform like duties for any committee of Directors when required.

The Secretary shall ensure that the minutes of each meeting of the Board of Directors are distributed to each Director.

The Secretary shall give, or cause to be given, notice of all meetings and shall perform such duties as will be prescribed by the Board of Directors or the President.

The Secretary shall have custody of the corporate seal of the Corporation, and shall have authority to affix it to any instrument requiring it, and when so affixed it will be attested by the Secretary's signature.

Treasurer:

The Treasurer shall have the custody of the corporate funds and securities and shall keep full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements in books belonging to JETAASE and shall deposit all moneys and other valuable effects in the name and to the credit of JETAASE in such depositories as will be designated by the board.

The Treasurer shall disburse the funds of JETAASE as will be ordered by the board, taking proper vouchers for such disbursements, and shall render to the President and the board, at its regular meetings, or when the board so requires, an account of all transactions as treasurer and of the financial condition of JETAASE.

The Treasurer shall regularly review the financial policies and procedures of JETAASE with the board.

Social Chair:

The Social Chair (in possible conjunction with a Social Committee) plans approximately one event per month, such as Happy Hours, the Returnee Events, and hanami parties.

The Social Chair is responsible for maintaining the invite lists and determining how many members are planning to attend.

The Social Chair works with the treasurer to make sure that everyone has paid for the event if there is a fee.

Education Chair:

The Education Chair plans education-related activities the chapter is involved in, such as Japanese classes, etc.

February 27th, 2017: Self nominations will be due via email to jetaase@yahoo.com. Your nomination should include your reason(s) for running and a short self-bio relating to JET and Japan.

March 6th-8th, 2017: JETAASE members will be able to submit ballots during the three day voting period. All JETAASE members will receive a voting form link by email.

The election results will be posted in a future JETAASE newsletter.

Alabama Representative and Event Planners Needed:

JETAASE is looking for a subchapter representative for Alabama. If you are interested in this position or would like more information, please contact us.

* Serve as the main point-of-contact for the Alabama sub-chapter

* Plan and implement activities in a specific geographic area of Alabama;

* Communicate with JETAASE members in Alabama and with the JETAASE Executive Committee

* Participate in leadership activities with the JETAASE Executive Committee

* Request reimbursement for approved expenditures in a timely manner

* Submit information for required activity reports as needed

For those who are not interested in being an officer, we are seeking members who can assist the board with event planning. If you are interested in championing and planning a JETAASE event, please contact us. You do NOT need to be residing in the metro Atlanta area to plan an event!

The Japan-America Society of Georgia, JET Alumni Association of the Southeast (JETAASE), and Pasona NA, Inc. present a professional & career development seminar to explore the key elements of career planning and achieving your professional goals in the Japan-America field. This event also features a panel discussion by representatives from Japanese and American companies who will discuss advice and suggestions on landing your dream job and advancing your career. ジョージア日米協会ではJETAASE とPASONA NA, Inc.の協賛で、日本と米国における求職者の皆様の就職プランや 目的達成への基本事項に関する就職セミナーを行います。日米企業の代表者による求職のアドバイスや仕事の昇進に関してのパネル・ディスカッションも開催されます。Date & time: 2015-10-23 15:00

JETAASE would like to extend an invitation to JET Alumni and Departing JETs to meet for southern cooking at Folks restaurant at Folks on 4286 Lavista Road, next Thursday the 16th starting at 7:00. It may well be the last chance some of these departing JETs get to have real southern cooking for a while.

The time is quickly approaching for the annual JETAASE-sponsored Q&A session / orientation for newly departing 2015 JETs from the Southeast region of the country. The date is June 27th, 2015 (Saturday).

We are in need of volunteers who would like to assist with the Q&A by providing presentations, workshops, and general feedback about their time on the JET Program. We are also looking for one volunteer to assist with logistics (timer, picture-taking, etc).

Note: This is a full-day event; speakers generally need to prepare a presentation and/or worksheet.

If you are interested, please sign up via the following link by May 29th.

JETAASE is having its biannual officer elections for 2015. All JETAASE members are eligible to run for open positions. Whether you're interested in running or not, please carefully read and follow the election process as described below.

Open Positions

President:

The President shall be the chief executive officer of JETAASE, shall have general and active management of the operations of JETAASE, and shall see that all orders and resolutions of the board are carried into effect.

If there shall be no Chairman of the Board, the President shall preside at all meetings of the board.

The President shall have the authority and power to execute on behalf of JETAASE bonds, mortgages, notes, contracts, leases and other documents and instruments (whether or not requiring the seal of JETAASE) except where such documents or instruments are required by law to be otherwise signed and executed and except where the signing and execution thereof shall be expressly delegated by the board to some other officer or agent of JETAASE.

Vice President:

The Vice-President provides both leadership and follow-through on projects, and makes sure that the chapter is fulfilling all its obligation.

The Vice-President also takes on the duties of the president when the president is unavailable.

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall have the custody of the corporate funds and securities and shall keep full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements in books belonging to JETAASE and shall deposit all moneys and other valuable effects in the name and to the credit of JETAASE in such depositories as will be designated by the board.

The Treasurer shall disburse the funds of JETAASE as will be ordered by the board, taking proper vouchers for such disbursements, and shall render to the President and the board, at its regular meetings, or when the board so requires, an account of all transactions as treasurer and of the financial condition of JETAASE.

The Treasurer shall regularly review the financial policies and procedures of JETAASE with the board.

Social Chair:

The Social Chair (in possible conjunction with a Social Committee) plans approximately one event per month, such as Happy Hours, the Returnee Events, and hanami parties.

The Social Chair is responsible for maintaining the invite lists and determining how many members are planning to attend.

The Social Chair works with the treasurer to make sure that everyone has paid for the event if there is a fee.

Education Coordinator

The Education Coordinator plans education-related activities the chapter is involved in, such as Japanese classes, etc.

The Education Coordinator assists with recruiting visits to schools and universities.

Timeline of Election Process

March 29th, 2015: Self nominations will be due via email to jetaase@yahoo.com. Your nomination should include your reason(s) for running and a short self-bio relating to JET and Japan.

March 30th- April 5th, 2015 - JETAASE members will be able to submit ballots during the three day voting period. All JETAASE members will receive a voting form link by email.

April 2015 - The election results will be posted in the JETAASE newsletter.

Volunteer Opportunity! The organizers of this year's Japan Academic Challenge are again looking for 1-2 JETAA volunteers to assist in judging the competitions. The commitment would be for a full day on Saturday, March 7 at Kennesaw State University.

The Japan Academic Challenge is a high school team competition which will challenge students’ knowledge of Japanese cultural aspects, including: history, geography, language, and current events. For more information, please visit this website: http://www.atlanta.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JACJSP2015.html.

Kyle Munn, a JET alumna living in North Carolina, notes several new or soon-to-be-opened restaurants in NC that are worth checking out.

Dashi
Dashi is a ramen shop and izakaya in downtown Durham. It is opening in early-January. I was lucky enough to go to a tasting a few weeks ago and the ramen in very good. Definitely not the instant soup stuff a lot of places around here try to pass off!DashiRamen.com

Blue Kudzu Sake Company
A fellow JETAA told me about this place they checked out while in Asheville a couple months ago. A real live sake brewery in the mountains of NC. Between this place and the wasabi farm out there it's starting to turn into Little Japan.BlueKudzuSake.com

Greetings to all members of JET Alumni Association from the staff of the Prime Minister's Office of Japan

We hope you are well. Here in Tokyo the trees are taking on their autumnal hues as we move deeper into the autumn months.

We have just issued the Autumn 2014 edition of our We Are Tomodachi magazine and published it online. We hope you will take a look.

In this edition, we would like to once again share with you a broad variety of contents, from rich autumnal produce and colorful autumn leaves from around Japan, to the 50th anniversary of the Shinkansen, Japan’s contribution to infrastructure development in Myanmar and Palau, how Tokyo keeps tap water safe and delicious.

We strongly hope that as many people as possible find the time to read this magazine and deepen their understanding about Japan. We therefore ask that you please share this magazine widely with others, through social media and other means.

"[T]he IUC (Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies) is one of the leading Japanese language institute for highest level of Japanese. Since 2013, the Nippon Foundation has offered fellowships to 10 promising graduate students of Japan Studies doctorate courses in the US, who participated 10 months Japanese language training course in Yokohama.

The Nippon Foundation has decided to expand the number of grantees from 10 to 20, and also to extend the scope of the program from Japanese Studies to Professional Schools such as law, MBA, governmental officials, journalists and so on. This is a new initiative that will start from 2016, and IUC has recently made announcement for the application from potential candidates. I suppose that this program will be appealing to some of JETAA members who want to seek for their professional career paths that are related to Japan...

ALTs To Be Placed in All Primary Schools

(Via The Yomiuri Shimbun, JETWit.com)
The government has decided to increase the number of Assistant Language Teachers considerably over a five-year period, starting from the next school year, to strengthen English education at primary schools.

Aiming to create a system in which ALTs will be assigned to all public primary schools by the 2019 school year, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry and the Foreign Ministry plan to increase the number of ALTs by about 2,300 over five years as a national project. Combined with ALTs who are hired independently by municipalities, the ministries intend to expand the total number of ALTs to 20,000, or 1.5 times the current level, by the 2019 school year.

The education ministry has decided to lower the starting age for English education from the current fifth year of primary school to the third year by the 2020 school year, and make it an official subject from the fifth year.

Experts have said it is important to secure a sufficient number of native English speakers, and utilize them to enhance the learning environments for students.

About 800 ALTs first came to Japan in 1987 when the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program was launched as a state international exchange project. As of 2002, the number of ALTs had increased to about 5,600, but it began to decrease after that due to financial problems. The current number is about 4,100.

Besides ALTs on the JET Program, about 8,000 ALTs hired independently by municipalities and other organizations have been dispatched to local primary and middle schools across the nation. In some cases, an ALT teaches at several schools.

According to experts, considerable disparity exists among the nation’s 21,000 public primary schools. While some schools have resident ALTs, some schools are visited by an ALT once about every six months.

The government therefore plans to increase the number of ALTs in the JET Program in stages. From the 2020 school year onward, English lessons will increase from the current once a week to three times a week for fifth-grade and sixth-grade students. Third-grade and fourth-grade students will have English lessons once or twice a week, and the education ministry plans to have ALTs frequently instruct students in English classes.

The budget for English education utilizing ALTs is expected to increase from about ¥30 billion this school year to about ¥50 billion a year eventually. The government also plans to launch a subsidy system for supporting municipalities that independently hire ALTs.

ALT

An ALT assists Japanese teachers in teaching foreign languages such as English at primary, middle and high schools. In addition to ALTs who come to Japan on the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, a state international exchange project, others are directly hired by municipalities or private organizations contracted to dispatch ALTs.

From the 2011 school year, foreign language studies became compulsory for fifth-grade and sixth-grade primary school students. The role of ALTs has expanded to include assisting with pronunciation and listening comprehension.

The Embassy in DC has created a JET Alumni survey to collect feedback on everyone's experiences in the JET Program. It doesn't matter if you just returned home this year, or if you have been home for 10 years. If you have a few moments, please take the time to fill this out. We will be sending the data back to CLAIR in hopes of changing problems that may exist.

As the recent landslides in Hiroshima sadly attest, many natural disasters occur across Japan every year, including nearly 1,200 landslides. The program would mobilize in a simple way the over 50,000 JETs and JET alumni around the world (and their extended networks) to assist Japanese communities in their time of greatest need.

The process we envision is simple:1. AJET contacts JETs who are near the disaster2. Local JETs write up the request for assistance, including how people can donate and help3. AJET broadcasts to JETs across Japan and JETAA broadcasts to alumni worldwide

Please fill out this simple contact form if you are interested in learning more about how you could get involved:

Hiroshima Kenjin Kai of Southern California has formally joined the efforts of Hiroshima Prefecture and various Hiroshima-based NGOs and NPOs in the effort to raise funds in support of the victims of the disaster that befell the local community and residents of northern Hiroshima.

Welcome to your home, new JETs! Now that you're settled in, AJET is here to help you with the next steps. Check out an awesome article by our own Verity Lane of Hokkaido on "how to ALT"! Be sure to read the After Tokyo section to learn what to do in your first month and beyond, too.

Have you had a chance yet to learn about your National AJET representatives? Learn who your Block Representative is, and read about how they are serving our community on the AJET National Council by visiting the AJET website.

They are always here to listen, so keep in touch and feel free to contact them if there's anything you need help with!

National AJET is proud to present a welcome video for new JETs, made in collaboration with AJET organizations across Japan.

Subscribe for more exciting YouTube updates from National AJET as our channel kicks into gear. Upcoming videos include one for JETTeach, a series on ALT teaching, and an installment of the JETLife series, which deals with the common idiosyncrasies of life as a JET.

Georgia Virtual School instructors facilitate and support learning for students in virtual classrooms. Students gain access to courses online. These courses are taught by highly qualified teachers via a learning management system. The course content is developed and reviewed by a team of expert staff. More and more students throughout Georgia are choosing Georgia Virtual School as a solution to meet their individual learning needs and to fulfill their college and career readiness goals. With continual growth on the horizon, the Georgia Virtual School is in need of innovative, passionate teachers who are reflective in practice, dedicated to student learning, willing to implement best practices in online education, and demonstrate a disposition indicative of a transformative educator.

Dell SecureWorks is a market leader in information security services with more than 3,600 customers worldwide spanning North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim. Organizations of all sizes, across all industries rely on Dell SecureWorks to protect their assets, improve compliance and reduce costs. The combination of strong customer service, award-winning security technology and experienced security professionals makes Dell SecureWorks the premier provider of information security services for any organization. Positioned as a leader of the MSSP industry by several global industry analyst firms, Dell SecureWorks also has received SC Magazine’s “Best Managed Security Service” award and Frost & Sullivan’s North America Security Incident Mitigation and Response Customer Value Leadership Award, among others.

Working in a 24X7 Security Operations Center, the Security Services Team Specialist answers inbound phone calls, addresses customer emails, triages service requests, and provides day to day support for the neighboring teams within Dell SecureWorks’ Security Operations Team. Additional duties include, but are not limited to, assisting customers with issue resolution, updating customer records within a CRM ticketing system, escalating issues on the customer’s behalf to members of the sales and operations organization, and performing routine technical tasks related to the management and monitoring of the services that a customer receives.

Role Responsibilities

- Work in a shift-based schedule within a 24X7 Security operations Center- Be able to work a schedule that encompasses minimally working a weekend day in addition to being available during off-hours as required

- Take ownership of, triage, and update tickets generated by a CRM ticketing system

- Remotely assist with basic technical support related the management and monitoring of customer security devices; this support will include, but not be limited to, assisting customers with the replacement of defective security devices, setting up read-only accounts to 3rd party management consoles, modifying customer portal account views, etc

- Generate and update technical documentation as required.

- Demonstrate excellent communication and customer care skills by documenting all analysis work performed

- Manage, participate in, or directly work on any additional projects, assignments, or initiatives assigned by management

As a managed security provider, Dell SecureWorks expects its employees to understand and apply commonly known security practices and possess a working knowledge of applicable industry controls such as NIST 800-53. Employees will be expected to acknowledge their security responsibilities in writing prior to gaining access to company systems. Employees will be required to maintain a working knowledge of local security policies and execute general controls as assigned.

Requirements

- Fluent in English and Japanese language

- 4-6 years of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and work experience; undergraduate degree and 0-2 years of relevant experience

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, time management and organizational skills

- Working knowledge/experience of network systems, security principles, and applications

- Knowledge of client service principles and commitment to client service

- Knowledge of general software and internet applications

Preferences

- Experience with a software company or ‘security’ specific previous role

Location

Atlanta, GA

Company Description

With more than 100,000 team members globally, we promote an environment that is rooted in the entrepreneurial spirit in which the company was founded. Dell’s team members are committed to serving our communities, regularly volunteering for over 1,500 non-profit organizations. The company has also received many accolades from employer of choice to energy conservation. Our team members follow an open approach to technology innovation and believe that technology is essential for human success.

Why work with us?

· Life at Dell means collaborating with dedicated professionals with a passion for technology.

· When we see something that could be improved, we get to work inventing the solution.

At Red Hat, we connect an innovative community of customers, partners, and contributors to deliver an open source stack of trusted, high-performing technologies that solve business problems. We’re a billion dollar S&P 500 company offering solutions from Linux to middleware, storage to cloud, together with award-winning global customer support, consulting, and implementation services.

Our engineering headquarters, located in Westford, MA, is where Red Hat software engineers collaborate on the development, implementation, and roadmap of our open source product portfolio.

Job summary

Our Global Support Services (GSS) team is seeking a highly skilled, Japanese-speaking Technical Support Engineer to provide dedicated phone and online support for our Japanese clients. In this role, you'll become an expert on Red Hat technologies, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and our storage and cloud solutions. You'll respond to support requests in Japanese, so an ability to communicate fluently is imperative.

Primary job responsibilities

Provide technical support to customers by taking incoming calls and responding to web-based inquiries

Quality customer service skills and prior help desk or customer-focused experience

Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline, preferably in computer science; equivalent experience is also considered

Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) or other Linux certification considered a huge plus, as you'll need to earn RHCE within 60 days of start

Red Hat is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and an affirmative action employer. We review applications for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, military status or veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.